8825778

Selective Display of Past Instant Messages

PublishedSeptember 2, 2014
Assigneenot available in USPTO data we have
Technical Abstract

Patent Claims
22 claims

Legal claims defining the scope of protection. Each claim is shown in both the original legal language and a plain English translation.

Claim 1

Original Legal Text

1. A method for allowing selective display of past instant messages, comprising: establishing an instant messaging session among at least two participants, each participant having an associated computer system, all of the associated computing systems in communication across a network; displaying a list of instant messages between the at least two participants on monitors associated with the computing systems; selecting at least one instant message from said list of instant messages using an access control, wherein said access control comprises a selection identifier displayed next to each instant message in said list of instant messages and indicates which messages are to be shared and which messages are to be kept private; inviting at least one new participant to join the instant messaging session; and when the selected at least one instant message corresponds to the at least one new participant, displaying the selected at least one instant message on a monitor used by the at least one new participant.

Plain English Translation

A method for selectively displaying past instant messages involves starting a chat session between two or more participants, each using a computer connected to a network. The chat history is displayed on their screens. Each message has a visual control (like a checkbox) next to it, indicating whether it should be shared or kept private. When a new participant joins, the system checks which messages have been marked for sharing. Only the shared messages are displayed to the new participant. This allows control over what past conversations are visible to newcomers.

Claim 2

Original Legal Text

2. The method according to claim 1 , comprising displaying the selected at least one instant message on a monitor used by the at least one new participant.

Plain English Translation

This method, as described in claim 1, displays selected instant messages from a past conversation on the screen of a new participant who joins the chat. The selected messages were previously chosen by existing participants to be visible to new joiners.

Claim 3

Original Legal Text

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein non-selected instant messages from said list are not displayed on the monitor of the at least one new participant.

Plain English Translation

Building upon the selective message display in claim 1, instant messages that were *not* selected by existing participants (i.e., marked as private) are specifically *not* shown to new participants joining the chat. This ensures only shared messages are visible to the newcomer.

Claim 4

Original Legal Text

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the selection identifier has a color code.

Plain English Translation

In the selective messaging system of claim 1, the selection identifier (used to mark messages as shareable or private) uses a color code. For example, a green checkbox might indicate a message is shared, while a red "X" indicates it's private.

Claim 5

Original Legal Text

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said selecting the at least one instant message using an access control comprises manually selecting whether each participant views instant messages from said list of instant messages.

Plain English Translation

Using the method described in claim 1, selecting which instant messages a new participant can see is done manually. An existing participant goes through the list of past messages and individually chooses which ones to share with the new person.

Claim 6

Original Legal Text

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said inviting the at least one new participant comprises sending the at least one new participant an invitation via e-mail.

Plain English Translation

In the method of claim 1, inviting a new participant to join the instant messaging session is accomplished by sending them an invitation via email. The email might contain a link to join the active chat.

Claim 7

Original Legal Text

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said inviting the at least one new participant comprises selecting the at least one new participant from a contact list within an instant messaging application.

Plain English Translation

The method of claim 1 describes inviting a new participant. This invitation happens by picking the new participant from a contact list that's inside the instant messaging app itself.

Claim 8

Original Legal Text

8. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising identifying at least one instant message with at least one tag.

Plain English Translation

Further extending the method of claim 1, instant messages are identified with tags. These tags could be keywords, labels, or categories that describe the message's content.

Claim 9

Original Legal Text

9. The method according to claim 8 , wherein said at least one tag corresponds to a tag listed in an at least one new participant's user profile.

Plain English Translation

Building upon the tagging feature of claim 8, the tags applied to instant messages match tags found in the new participant's user profile. For example, if a message is tagged "project alpha" and the new participant's profile lists "project alpha" as a skill, that message might be displayed to them.

Claim 10

Original Legal Text

10. The method according to claim 8 , wherein said at least one tag corresponds to a title of the at least one new participant.

Plain English Translation

In addition to claim 8, the tags assigned to instant messages match the job title of the new participant. If a message is tagged "Engineering", and the new participant's title is "Software Engineer", the message may be displayed.

Claim 11

Original Legal Text

11. The method according to claim 8 , wherein said at least one tag corresponds to a role of the at least one new participant.

Plain English Translation

Expanding on claim 8, instant message tags correspond to the role of the new participant. For instance, if a message is tagged "Management" and the new participant has the role of "Team Lead," the message might be shown.

Claim 12

Original Legal Text

12. The method according to claim 8 , wherein said at least one tag corresponds to a group or department to which the at least one new participant belongs.

Plain English Translation

Building on the tagging concept in claim 8, instant message tags match the new participant's group or department. A message tagged "Marketing" would be relevant to a new participant in the Marketing department.

Claim 13

Original Legal Text

13. The method according to claim 8 , wherein said at least one tag corresponds to a social networking relationship between a participant in an existing instant messaging session and the at least one new participant.

Plain English Translation

Based on claim 8, message tags relate to the social networking connections between existing and new participants. For example, if a message is tagged "mutual friend," and the new participant shares a connection on a social network with someone in the chat, the message might be displayed.

Claim 14

Original Legal Text

14. The method according to claim 8 , wherein if said at least one tag does not correspond to the at least one new participant, the participant who tagged the at least one instant message is prompted whether the at least one new participant should view the tagged at least one instant message.

Plain English Translation

Using the tagged message approach of claim 8, if a tag on a message doesn't directly match the new participant's profile, the user who added the tag is prompted to decide whether the new participant should see the message anyway.

Claim 15

Original Legal Text

15. The method according to claim 8 , wherein said at least one tag corresponds to a time identifier.

Plain English Translation

Based on the tagging method of claim 8, the tag represents a time identifier. For instance, messages related to the "Q3 2024" tag would only show to new participants who are meant to see messages from that time period.

Claim 16

Original Legal Text

16. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the selection identifier comprises a box or radio button.

Plain English Translation

In the method of claim 1, the selection identifier (used to choose which messages to share) is implemented as a checkbox or radio button next to each instant message. Users can click these controls to mark messages as either public or private for new participants.

Claim 17

Original Legal Text

17. A method for allowing selective display of past instant messages, comprising: establishing an instant messaging session among a plurality of participants, each participant having an associated computer system, all of the associated computing systems in communication across a network; displaying a list of instant messages between the plurality of participants on monitors associated with the computing systems; identifying at least one instant message with a tag; inviting at least one new participant to join the instant messaging session; if the tagged at least one instant message corresponds to the at least one new participant, displaying the at least one instant message having the tag on a monitor used by the at least one new participant; and if said at least one tag does not correspond to the at least one new participant, the participant who tagged the at least one instant message is prompted whether the at least one new participant should view the tagged at least one instant message.

Plain English Translation

A method selectively displays past instant messages. An existing chat session has multiple participants, each with networked computers. The system displays the message history. Participants tag messages with keywords. When a new participant joins, the system checks for tagged messages matching the new participant. If a tag matches, the message is displayed. If there's no match, the original tagger is asked whether the new participant should see the message.

Claim 18

Original Legal Text

18. The method according to claim 17 , wherein said at least one tag corresponds to a tag listed in the at least one new participant's user profile.

Plain English Translation

The tagging method described in claim 17 uses tags matching information in the new participant's user profile. This enables the system to automatically display relevant messages based on the new joiner's profile data.

Claim 19

Original Legal Text

19. The method according to claim 17 , wherein said at least one tag corresponds to a title of the at least one new participant.

Plain English Translation

Using the tagged message system of claim 17, message tags match the new participant's job title. A message tagged "Sales Strategy" would be automatically shown to a new participant with the title "Sales Manager".

Claim 20

Original Legal Text

20. The method according to claim 17 , wherein said at least one tag corresponds to a group or department to which the at least one new participant belongs.

Plain English Translation

Building upon the tagging method of claim 17, the tags correspond to a group or department the new participant belongs to. This displays messages related to "HR Policies" to a new participant in the Human Resources department.

Claim 21

Original Legal Text

21. A computer program product for allowing selective display of past instant messages, comprising: a non-transitory computer readable storage medium; first program instructions to establish an instant messaging session among a plurality of participants, each participant having an associated computer system, all of the associated computing systems in communication across a network; second program instructions to display a list of instant messages between the plurality of participants on monitors associated with the comprising systems; third program instructions to select at least one instant message from said list of instant messages using an access control, wherein said access control comprises a selection identifier displayed next to each instant message in said list of instant messages and indicates which messages are to be shared and which messages are to be kept private; fourth program instructions to invite at least one new participant to join the instant messaging session; and fifth program instructions to display the selected at least one instant message on a monitor used by at least one new participant, when the selected at least one instant message corresponds to the at least one new participant, wherein said first, second, third, fourth, and fifth program instructions are stored on said computer readable storage medium.

Plain English Translation

A software program selectively displays past instant messages. The program establishes a chat session, displays the message history, and lets users mark messages as shareable or private using visual controls next to each message. When a new participant joins, the program only displays the messages that were marked as shareable to the new user. The instructions are stored on a computer-readable medium.

Claim 22

Original Legal Text

22. The computer program product according to claim 21 , wherein the third program instructions further comprises identifying at least one instant message with at least one tag.

Plain English Translation

In addition to selectively displaying messages as in claim 21, the program tags instant messages with keywords or labels, making the filtering and display process more intelligent.

Patent Metadata

Filing Date

Unknown

Publication Date

September 2, 2014

Inventors

Lisa Seacat DeLuca
Albert A. DeLucca
Soobaek Jang

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